Brought you a lollypop. FEELING BETTER?
The Ten Best Interior Design Bloggers
Looking for blogs dedicated to fresh finds, inspiring ideas, and a hearty supply of interior design from all over the world?
Here are the top ten best interior design bloggers, according to White Horse Digital's Ruth Hoskins.
1. Abigail Ahern
Interior designer and retailer Abigail Ahern has had heaps of praise bestowed on her; “the woman rocking the world of interiors” and “style spotter extraordinaire’”by The Times. Abigail owns one of the coolest interior design shops in the UK – Atelier Abigail Ahern. She is also the author of A Girl’s Guide to Decorating and has an A-list celebrity clientele, from Robbie Williams to Robert Downey Junior. Abigail’s style is ultra-luxe and fuses vintage with contemporary in an oh-so glamorous way. Her blog does not disappoint, she shares daily insights including recipes, style tips, cool product finds and trade.
We love: Abigail’s blog really does give an authentic insight into the creative mind of a leading designer. Plus the photography is lush – sultry, opulent and seriously lustworthy.
2. Apartment Therapy
The Guardian says; “ordinary readers showing off their extraordinary homes…it’s hard not to become addicted.” This blog/forum is huge, with fresh content posted literally all the time. Somehow it still manages to feel like a community. The main part of the blog is the House Tours, giving an inside peek into hipsters’ homes around the world – truly lust-inspiring and indulges in our voyeuristic dreams. It’s super visual with fun, snack size videos like this one – One minute tip: How to carve a turkey .
We love: The utterly intuitive navigation that invites you to dip in to daily tips and explore the content.
3. decor8
Founded by American award-winning and best selling author and journalist Holly Becker – a serious influencer in the blogging community. 
decor8 is a blog dedicated to ‘fresh finds, inspiring interiors & ideas for creative living’ and is beautifully designed. The site gets over one million page views per month, 60,000 followers on on Twitter,182,000 followers on Pinterest, 63,000 followers on Facebook and 28,000 following her on Instagram.
decor8 is a blog dedicated to ‘fresh finds, inspiring interiors & ideas for creative living’ and is beautifully designed. The site gets over one million page views per month, 60,000 followers on on Twitter,182,000 followers on Pinterest, 63,000 followers on Facebook and 28,000 following her on Instagram.
We love: The very personal way in which Holly writes makes this site read like a novel – it’s a great example of storytelling.
4. Bright Bazaar
Will Taylor is a self-proclaimed ‘lover of hues’ and his vibrant blog is a breath of fresh air and pays homage to his colour fascinations. A well-known home interiors journalist, ex-Habitat visual merchandiser and blogger since 2009, Bright Bazaar has an incredibly loyal following. His daily posts are as fun as his bright coloured images. His colour cocktails are cute moodboards packed with product suggestions.
We love: The ten things I learned this weekend category – where Will documents all the things that have inspired him , from out and about photographs, to product picks and inviting Cafes and shops. This is much more than an interiors blog.
5. Bodie & Fou
Perfect Sunday morning iPad fodder, the Bodie & Fou blog is attached to the award-winning online concept store. It was voted in the Top 
20 Interiors blogs by Vogue magazine (UK) and is just gorgeous. Started by Karine Candice and her sister, the French pair write about their inspiration, creative interior tips and create luxurious and want-to-buy-now visual guides to their favourite products.
20 Interiors blogs by Vogue magazine (UK) and is just gorgeous. Started by Karine Candice and her sister, the French pair write about their inspiration, creative interior tips and create luxurious and want-to-buy-now visual guides to their favourite products.
We love: Boudie + Fou’s blog has some of the most beautiful photographs we have seen, curated perfectly to complement the tone of the blog and store.
6. Habitually Chic
Heather Clawson is a decorator, author and photographer based in New York City. Her blog is unashamedly glamorous and gives a glimpse into an Uptown Manhattan life that Gossip Girlmade us all want to be part of. Her posts are visually inspiring and artfully put together. This recent post Bergdorf Goodman Holiday’s on Ice gives us an insider scoop on what’s happening in NYC right now.
We love: Even though her style is uber-glam, Heather’s style is effortlessly easy-going. No haughty tone here, just the feeling that she is bringing us into her high-shine world.
7. Design*Sponge
Design*Sponge is a legendary design blog run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched way back in August 2004, the site updates between 6-8 
times per day and was declared a “Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials” by the New York Times. We have long followed this lifestyle blog that serves up a hearty supply of design, craft, product and recipe ideas – creating the ultimate style bible. Their following is pretty awesome too. Design*Sponge currently has 75,000 daily readers on the main site, over 127,000+ RSS readers, 405,000+ Twitter followers and 70,000+Facebook followers.
times per day and was declared a “Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials” by the New York Times. We have long followed this lifestyle blog that serves up a hearty supply of design, craft, product and recipe ideas – creating the ultimate style bible. Their following is pretty awesome too. Design*Sponge currently has 75,000 daily readers on the main site, over 127,000+ RSS readers, 405,000+ Twitter followers and 70,000+Facebook followers.
We love: Easy to navigate and pick out the latest content, we love the design of this blog. It goes against the standard white minimalist look, and is instantly recognisable by it’s fun design.
8. The Selby
..is in your place. Tom Selby is a photographer, director, author and illustrator. The Selby offers an inside view of Tom’s creative, and often well-known friends in their personal spaces. The site quickly grew to daily visitors of over 100,000 a day and spun into campaigns and collaborations with Louis Vuitton, American Express, FENDI and more.
We love: Tom’s portraits not only show off a little black book of friends to die for, but are set in super hipster locations around the world – if this was reality Tv, we would watch it all day long.
9. Lobster and Swan
Sussex-coast living Jeska’s blog Lobster & Swan is a vision of heaven to vintage-lovers. Whimsical and inspired by ancient Britain, bunting and tea parties, the content is varied and creative but always beautiful. Her ever-changing vintage-style home features heavily. She posts her thrift shop finds, home made craft projects (also available through her Etsy store) and more. A great read on a rainy day that can take her readers into a world of sunshine and colour.
We love: The patterns, textures and images create a real vision of a vintage lovers paradise.
10. Door Sixteen
A cute blog from Brooklyn & The Hudson Valley, Door Sixteen is a personal tale of renovating a Victorian House in New York Stats. It’s an 
inviting story, as Anna shares the small details of her daily life, but makes them sound really interesting – she posts her weekend to-do lists, and music videos she has unearthed. All of this combines with beautiful imagery to create a real-life and extremely readable journal.
inviting story, as Anna shares the small details of her daily life, but makes them sound really interesting – she posts her weekend to-do lists, and music videos she has unearthed. All of this combines with beautiful imagery to create a real-life and extremely readable journal.
We love: The daily detail of Anna’s life is pretty addictive.
If you are interested in reading more – our articles ‘11 Things Brands Can Learn From Bloggers‘ and ‘The White Horse Blogger Outreach Guide‘
Eco Friendly Homes amongst the Trees
Such a simple idea, yet it blows your mind. Can you imagine if everyone could live amongst nature, but left no environmental footprint? Well, that's what Konrad Wójcik pictures the world, and I love it!
Below is an article I spotted online... I think you'll love it.
Danish architecture student and interior designer Konrad Wójcik has devised a concept for a prefabricated tree house that would leave no environmental footprint.
The project, dubbed Primeval Symbiosis (Single Pole House), was designed as part of the d3 Natural Systems 2013 international architectural design competition, which asked designers to create innovative sustainable proposals that study intrinsic environmental geometries, behaviours, and flows.
The home’s designer was inspired after studying the functionality and
“For most animals, trees are the best natural shelters against predators, moisture and weather. Studying its nature allowed me to come up with ideas and solutions to create a completely self-sufficient construction,” he said.
The house can adapt to almost any existing landscape without leaving any footprint.
The name Primeval Symbiosis refers to the connection between the house and its natural environment.
At present, traditional housing developments and urban sprawl necessitate massive deforestation around cities and urban areas. While some recent projects are making partial efforts to reduce deforestation, Wójcik’s idea proposes to eliminate deforestation by creating houses that can adapt to the existing landscape without leaving any footprint at all.
The name Primeval Symbiosis refers to the connection between the house and the natural environment.
The pyramid-shaped building is 16.64 metres high and features only 61 square metres of floor space spread over four levels. The entrance is through an automatic folding metal ladder that connects the ground level to the first level, which is five metres up above the ground.
Levels are divided according to their functions; the bottom floor is the entry level and features access to the house, a mudroom, a storage area and a technical area. Level 1 is the ‘day level’ where the kitchen, living/dining area and the bathroom are located; level 2 is the mezzanine ‘work level’ featuring a desk and a storage area; and level 3 is the ‘night level’ or sleeping area.
Inside the house, alternating tread wooden stairs helps to save space and ensure the interior areas step around the ‘technical core’ of the dwelling, which is like the trunk of a tree, offering structural support.
The structure itself consists of a light wooden frame built around the central pole, and the exterior walls/roof are covered in black Zink, a 100 per cent recyclable material that is highly resistant to weather extreme conditions. Windows are triple glazed to meet the standards required for passive heating and cooling, helping to make the house energy efficient.
Cross Sections.
Cross Sections. (Click on the image for a larger view)
The house’s exterior includes 40 square metres of solar panels and the house was designed with a 25 degrees slope to maximise its efficiency. The façade also features a natural ventilation system, while below the entry level, a rain water storage tank holds enough water to meet the needs of the house’s occupants.
The Primeval Symbiosis model aims to remind people that nature is wise and that trees serve a purpose, while deforestation hinders the world from an environmental standpoint. The ultimate goal behind this idea is to create a community of these homes that can be located in any natural landscape, nullifying the need for massive deforestation and leaving zero carbon footprint.
by: Mercedes Martty
Below is an article I spotted online... I think you'll love it.
Danish architecture student and interior designer Konrad Wójcik has devised a concept for a prefabricated tree house that would leave no environmental footprint.
The project, dubbed Primeval Symbiosis (Single Pole House), was designed as part of the d3 Natural Systems 2013 international architectural design competition, which asked designers to create innovative sustainable proposals that study intrinsic environmental geometries, behaviours, and flows.
The home’s designer was inspired after studying the functionality and
“For most animals, trees are the best natural shelters against predators, moisture and weather. Studying its nature allowed me to come up with ideas and solutions to create a completely self-sufficient construction,” he said.
The house can adapt to almost any existing landscape without leaving any footprint.
The name Primeval Symbiosis refers to the connection between the house and its natural environment.
At present, traditional housing developments and urban sprawl necessitate massive deforestation around cities and urban areas. While some recent projects are making partial efforts to reduce deforestation, Wójcik’s idea proposes to eliminate deforestation by creating houses that can adapt to the existing landscape without leaving any footprint at all.
The name Primeval Symbiosis refers to the connection between the house and the natural environment.
The pyramid-shaped building is 16.64 metres high and features only 61 square metres of floor space spread over four levels. The entrance is through an automatic folding metal ladder that connects the ground level to the first level, which is five metres up above the ground.
Levels are divided according to their functions; the bottom floor is the entry level and features access to the house, a mudroom, a storage area and a technical area. Level 1 is the ‘day level’ where the kitchen, living/dining area and the bathroom are located; level 2 is the mezzanine ‘work level’ featuring a desk and a storage area; and level 3 is the ‘night level’ or sleeping area.
Inside the house, alternating tread wooden stairs helps to save space and ensure the interior areas step around the ‘technical core’ of the dwelling, which is like the trunk of a tree, offering structural support.
The structure itself consists of a light wooden frame built around the central pole, and the exterior walls/roof are covered in black Zink, a 100 per cent recyclable material that is highly resistant to weather extreme conditions. Windows are triple glazed to meet the standards required for passive heating and cooling, helping to make the house energy efficient.
Cross Sections.
Cross Sections. (Click on the image for a larger view)
The house’s exterior includes 40 square metres of solar panels and the house was designed with a 25 degrees slope to maximise its efficiency. The façade also features a natural ventilation system, while below the entry level, a rain water storage tank holds enough water to meet the needs of the house’s occupants.
The Primeval Symbiosis model aims to remind people that nature is wise and that trees serve a purpose, while deforestation hinders the world from an environmental standpoint. The ultimate goal behind this idea is to create a community of these homes that can be located in any natural landscape, nullifying the need for massive deforestation and leaving zero carbon footprint.
by: Mercedes Martty
A Designer Who Renovates The Minds Of Her Billionaire Clients
After you meet this designer, you'll know the history of just about everything in your home. I thought you might like this article from Forbes India.
Joan Behnke redesigns the homes of the rich and famous by first renovating their minds.
Behnke’s network of high-net-worth clients—or, perhaps more aptly, collaborators—love her for putting them through their paces. “She always makes you feel like you are the contributor, that you are manifesting your own mission,” attests Thomas Barrack, the billionaire founder of Colony Capital and a decade-long client. Despite a college degree that included art history, Behnke first pursued a career in modern dance and put in time working on films. Eventually, she scored a job with design maven Erika Brunson. Her first project: Helping design the Saudi royal family’s estates in Riyadh and other locales. The gig exposed her to high-luxury vendors and specialised sources across the world, stoking a passion for uncovering unusual items and, once she began her own firm in 1999, a desire to spread that passion to her clients. “I don’t view her as a decorator; she is a cultural scientist,” says Barrack. “She will research little, narrow, unknown tunnels of history on a particular project and then start drilling down. She doesn’t just do research of the period; she has contacts all over the world who help her manoeuver through identifying objects and materials.”
by Morgan Brennan
How to make your rented home special
We all know how hard it is to personalize a rented home, or is it?
Read this article and you'll be amazed how easy this actually can be.
Washington - Three years ago, newlywed Kerra Michele Huerta packed her wedding dress and her two dogs and drove to Washington DC to join her husband in a one-bedroom rented flat.
The designer had no clients and no design network in the American capital. Her budget for decorating her own flat was small. But she threw herself into space planning, flea market shopping, furniture repurposing, organizing and DIY projects, creating a personal, warm place.
Friends were amazed (and, yes, envious) at what she’d done: lined a stairway with several dozen framed photos, maps and artworks; painted the kitchen in black chalkboard paint; turned a walk-in cupboard into a dressing room. Soon she was giving out advice.
Eventually, she needed a bigger outlet for her creative energy and launched a blog, Apartment Envy, to chronicle her frustrations and successes in trying to personalize a soulless urban rental space.
“I figured that lots of people in their 20s and 30s are renting rather than buying. They need budget-minded advice,” Huerta says. “They want their place to look good now. But they also want to be able to take the stuff with them and use it wherever they go.”
Huerta, 30, says being a longtime renter has forced her to be creative and has led her to discover lots of design sources. Her online community chimes in with more ideas, as well as yeas and nays on color choices and furniture placement.
Today, she and husband David Reidmiller, a climate scientist, live in a 52m2 one-bedroom rented flat with a king-size bed and a homely refrigerator camouflaged under a layer of cool patterned contact paper.
Huerta has filled her home with finds from the internet, flea markets and and a bit of dumpster-diving. She hunts for used furniture on online sites for second-hand stuff.
From the reaction, it was clear that Huerta’s ideas are useful for almost anyone looking to create a happy space on a budget. Here are some of them.
1. Dump the mini-blinds. Nothing says temporary rental like clacking blinds. Huerta removed them and put them away in a cupboard. Most flats and townhouses have standard size windows, so it’s easy to find ready-made fabric or woven shades, or even curtains. If you can’t use them in your next home, you can often sell them to the next tenant because they probably don’t want those mini-blinds, either.
2. Add depth to a narrow galley kitchen. Remove cabinet doors to create a custom look and add personality. Not only will it make your kitchen feel larger, but the space will feel cozy and inviting. Huerta removed the doors on one wall of cabinets, painted the back of the cabinets mint and artfully arranged her tableware, glassware and Mason jars of staples inside. (Other cabinets still have doors to hide less display-worthy items.)
3. Maximise empty spaces. Every inch counts in a rental, so that awkward space between the top of your kitchen cabinets and the ceiling can be put to good use. Huerta arranged a row of chunky rectangular baskets on top of her cabinets to store household supplies such as paper towels and coffee filters.
4. Upgrade light fixtures. Rental spaces are notorious for having cheap, unattractive light fixtures. Check with your landlord first, explaining that you want to change them and that you will put back the original ones when you leave. Replace builder-grade ceiling lights with something more modern, such as the pendant with a black barrel shade which Huerta used in her dining area. She chose a blingy chandelier for the raspberry dressing room she created out of a walk-in cupboard.
5. Don’t be afraid to paint. Understanding landlords will let you paint in your own color scheme if you agree to repaint back to the original color, usually builder white. Huerta says you could also make a deal that if the new tenant likes your color scheme, you don’t have to repaint.
To deal with the nine doors and three windows in her bedroom (there are lots of cupboards), she painted all the walls, doors and trim in a taupe. Now the room looks like a cozy cocoon.
6. Camouflage the unflattering. Is there something in your space that you can’t stand yet can’t change? Adhesive paper can be your new best friend. It’s inexpensive and easy to apply, plus it peels off when you’re ready to move. Huerta covered the old and dented fridge with a grey-and-white geometric print to disguise a hulking eyesore.
7. Treat the bathroom like a real room. You can’t renovate it or change the tile, but you can add some interest to your bathroom. Huerta bought a vintage wooden grape crate online and hung it on the wall for extra storage. Using a tiny Oriental rug instead of a pastel cotton bath rug classes up the place.
8. Create the illusion of architectural interest. Because there were no built-in shelves in her living room, Huerta bought a pair of glass-fronted bookcases to put on either side of her fireplace. To personalize these very basic bookcases, she covered the back of the shelves with wrapping paper.
9. Speak up. Want to make changes to your rental space? Don’t be afraid to ask, whether it’s changing a doorknob or painting a room. The worst thing that could happen is your landlord says no. If you do get rebuffed, negotiate. You can offer to share the cost of an upgrade or pay a bit more in rent. Huerta split the cost of a new stove and microwave with her landlord because the old ones were dated and in poor condition. – The Washington Post
Read this article and you'll be amazed how easy this actually can be.
Washington - Three years ago, newlywed Kerra Michele Huerta packed her wedding dress and her two dogs and drove to Washington DC to join her husband in a one-bedroom rented flat.
The designer had no clients and no design network in the American capital. Her budget for decorating her own flat was small. But she threw herself into space planning, flea market shopping, furniture repurposing, organizing and DIY projects, creating a personal, warm place.
Friends were amazed (and, yes, envious) at what she’d done: lined a stairway with several dozen framed photos, maps and artworks; painted the kitchen in black chalkboard paint; turned a walk-in cupboard into a dressing room. Soon she was giving out advice.
Eventually, she needed a bigger outlet for her creative energy and launched a blog, Apartment Envy, to chronicle her frustrations and successes in trying to personalize a soulless urban rental space.
“I figured that lots of people in their 20s and 30s are renting rather than buying. They need budget-minded advice,” Huerta says. “They want their place to look good now. But they also want to be able to take the stuff with them and use it wherever they go.”
Huerta, 30, says being a longtime renter has forced her to be creative and has led her to discover lots of design sources. Her online community chimes in with more ideas, as well as yeas and nays on color choices and furniture placement.
Today, she and husband David Reidmiller, a climate scientist, live in a 52m2 one-bedroom rented flat with a king-size bed and a homely refrigerator camouflaged under a layer of cool patterned contact paper.
Huerta has filled her home with finds from the internet, flea markets and and a bit of dumpster-diving. She hunts for used furniture on online sites for second-hand stuff.
From the reaction, it was clear that Huerta’s ideas are useful for almost anyone looking to create a happy space on a budget. Here are some of them.
1. Dump the mini-blinds. Nothing says temporary rental like clacking blinds. Huerta removed them and put them away in a cupboard. Most flats and townhouses have standard size windows, so it’s easy to find ready-made fabric or woven shades, or even curtains. If you can’t use them in your next home, you can often sell them to the next tenant because they probably don’t want those mini-blinds, either.
2. Add depth to a narrow galley kitchen. Remove cabinet doors to create a custom look and add personality. Not only will it make your kitchen feel larger, but the space will feel cozy and inviting. Huerta removed the doors on one wall of cabinets, painted the back of the cabinets mint and artfully arranged her tableware, glassware and Mason jars of staples inside. (Other cabinets still have doors to hide less display-worthy items.)
3. Maximise empty spaces. Every inch counts in a rental, so that awkward space between the top of your kitchen cabinets and the ceiling can be put to good use. Huerta arranged a row of chunky rectangular baskets on top of her cabinets to store household supplies such as paper towels and coffee filters.
4. Upgrade light fixtures. Rental spaces are notorious for having cheap, unattractive light fixtures. Check with your landlord first, explaining that you want to change them and that you will put back the original ones when you leave. Replace builder-grade ceiling lights with something more modern, such as the pendant with a black barrel shade which Huerta used in her dining area. She chose a blingy chandelier for the raspberry dressing room she created out of a walk-in cupboard.
5. Don’t be afraid to paint. Understanding landlords will let you paint in your own color scheme if you agree to repaint back to the original color, usually builder white. Huerta says you could also make a deal that if the new tenant likes your color scheme, you don’t have to repaint.
To deal with the nine doors and three windows in her bedroom (there are lots of cupboards), she painted all the walls, doors and trim in a taupe. Now the room looks like a cozy cocoon.
6. Camouflage the unflattering. Is there something in your space that you can’t stand yet can’t change? Adhesive paper can be your new best friend. It’s inexpensive and easy to apply, plus it peels off when you’re ready to move. Huerta covered the old and dented fridge with a grey-and-white geometric print to disguise a hulking eyesore.
7. Treat the bathroom like a real room. You can’t renovate it or change the tile, but you can add some interest to your bathroom. Huerta bought a vintage wooden grape crate online and hung it on the wall for extra storage. Using a tiny Oriental rug instead of a pastel cotton bath rug classes up the place.
8. Create the illusion of architectural interest. Because there were no built-in shelves in her living room, Huerta bought a pair of glass-fronted bookcases to put on either side of her fireplace. To personalize these very basic bookcases, she covered the back of the shelves with wrapping paper.
9. Speak up. Want to make changes to your rental space? Don’t be afraid to ask, whether it’s changing a doorknob or painting a room. The worst thing that could happen is your landlord says no. If you do get rebuffed, negotiate. You can offer to share the cost of an upgrade or pay a bit more in rent. Huerta split the cost of a new stove and microwave with her landlord because the old ones were dated and in poor condition. – The Washington Post
Simplify Your Life
Our lives are constantly changing, because we constantly change. The chapters keep adding up in the book of our lives, and hopefully, one day, our book will be nice and heavy, filled with priceless experiences, saturated by everything and everyone around us... the essence of who we are now.
Some of the pages turn, yet we barely notice, and others are very clear indeed. I have heard women say that their 40's are when they truly began understanding themselves, and the best time of their lives actually starts... as I approach that age, with a few years to spare, I can most certainly say that this must be true, and can't wait to get there.
I've decided recently to start living my life on my own terms, and although at first it was a very stressful thing to think about, because change is always scary, as the days go by, I'm more and more centered and I feel that this was the best decision I've made, so far. Of course, I couldn't feel this way without all the past chapters and so I am thankful for each and every one.
For the past eight years I've been designing spectacular pieces of wrought iron as well as other metals; railings, drive gates, chandeliers, and just about anything else one can imagine. Pieces ordered by some of the best designers in the United States, for the most spectacular multi-million dollar mansions you can think of. It's been a playground of "never boring land." One day a Mediterranean Villa, the next a French work of art, followed by an experience of the Spanish variety, and perhaps something Transitional and Eclectic. At first, it was hard to no longer be there; working for Potter Art Metal Studios has been a priceless learning experience on so many levels, something to cherish always, especially since it led me to this moment.
Now it's time for a new chapter in my life, and it is clear-cut for sure; I am very aware of what is happening in my book.
I'm currently working on two canvases and both have a very telling story to tell... I'm adding color to and simplifying my life. I'm not sure how long this new direction will last, I can never guess what will pour onto the canvas; it simply happens and it's always based on what is going on in my life on a subconscious level, I know that much. I have to say that it's pretty fun even though at times painful to discover what meaning the canvas or sculpture holds, but I'm always willing to take the ride.
Meanwhile, I have a few thoughts scribbling in my head. I believe that I'm going to start my own line of coffee tables; something no one's seen before. I have a few concepts bouncing around... can't wait to put them all together. The other is something I've been meaning to do for a very long time and never got to it; a large scale sculpture, already in my head. I'm also working really hard on my new home on the web as well, and can't wait to show it off to you. Life is beautiful; it's time to breathe a little bit deeper.
How to get some Downton Abbey glamour into your home
This article isn't nescesarely about a specific designer, but a specific design idea, nevertheless, if you simply adore the look of Downton Abbey's sets, and would like to bring a bit of the dramma into your own home, you will love this article from The Age, life & style.
Have you been inspired by the lavish sets of the blockbuster British period drama Downton Abbey? Considered injecting some aristocratic glamour into your house?
It doesn't matter if your home is more Kath & Kim than stately manor, you can enjoy the opulence of the Downton era wherever you live.
We asked Australian interior designers for their ideas in recreating the stylish surroundings of the upper-class Crawley family and their servants at the country estate of Downton Abbey from 1912 to 1922.
Melbourne designer Virginia Blue has more than 20 years experience as a commercial and residential designer and runs her own interior architecture and building design studio, Blue Fruit. One of her main areas of work involves bringing heritage properties into the 21st century without losing their original integrity.
“The Edwardian and 1920s style (a la Downton Abbey) is a particular favourite era” she says. “I have just finished an Edwardian property, with a complete overhaul from top to toe, but where the client was very keen to retain and reinstate the original Queen Anne detail.”
The style of this period in Australia was the same as in England but with the use of Australian native flowers, says Blue. "To recreate this glamorous style in a modern home, think of elements which are sumptuous yet simple, with an element of nature in their pattern or shape, and focus on pastel colours with white as a contrast. There are three rules: Simplicity of pattern, obsession with nature [floral patterns and flowers everywhere] and lightness."
Blue says the early 1900s were a time of great change in interior design. “Out went the heavy, cluttered style of the Victorian age and in came electric lights and heating. No longer did walls have to be painted dark green and red to conceal the smoke from coal heating and oil lighting. Instead, pale colours were to be found on walls, celebrating all that was light, bright and clean.”
“Windows became larger, fabrics became paler; furniture was either highly polished or painted white to reflect the light."
Sydney interior designer Meg Tuckett defines the Downton aesthetic as “glamorous, opulent, confident but at the same time warm and welcoming.”
Tuckett says to get the Downton look choose a strong, rich colour scheme, keeping ceilings and woodwork white. “My favourite white is from Resene, called Alabaster, which works with everything,” she says.
“For the walls choose Starbell, a mellow and warm yellow. If using wallpaper, Ralph Lauren has many beautiful designs in particular Abbeywood Damask in Balmoral Red, from The Archival English Papers 11 Collection.”
Blue agrees walls must be elegant. "Soft pistachio green, lilac, dusky rose, pale peach-apricot or soft grey would all work as wall colours, with timber mouldings picked out in crisp white" she says.
Or she says choose paintable wallpaper, embossed with stylised floral patterns. Alternatively go for a wallpaper of swirling Art Nouveau roses, wisteria or native Australian flowers like waratah and gum blossom below the dado rail, with a matching plain paint colour above.
Choose highly polished timber floors with an Oriental or Turkish rug. “The floor rug that could reflect the paint or wallpaper colours. Whitecliffe Imports have a wonderful selection” says Tuckett.
For a bedroom as grand as Lady Mary's, get a painted or fabric covered three piece screen or use wallpaper and add aged brass studs on the edges, she says. “You could also buy a button backed bedroom chair - something with turned legs. There's a glorious new velvet collection from Ralph Lauren called Velvet Library.”
Blue suggests upholstering a deeply buttoned chaise or armchair in pale lilac velvet, trimmed with pearl grey tassel.
“Add a crystal and brass chandelier, a vintage brass bed made up with white linen, masses of fresh flowers in old silver teapots and the room becomes one of Edwardian glamour.”
So before the start of season four of Downton, scheduled for early 2014, settle down on your new velvet chaise with a cup of Earl Grey and wait for inspiration to strike.
by Sandy Smith
Have you been inspired by the lavish sets of the blockbuster British period drama Downton Abbey? Considered injecting some aristocratic glamour into your house?
It doesn't matter if your home is more Kath & Kim than stately manor, you can enjoy the opulence of the Downton era wherever you live.
We asked Australian interior designers for their ideas in recreating the stylish surroundings of the upper-class Crawley family and their servants at the country estate of Downton Abbey from 1912 to 1922.
Melbourne designer Virginia Blue has more than 20 years experience as a commercial and residential designer and runs her own interior architecture and building design studio, Blue Fruit. One of her main areas of work involves bringing heritage properties into the 21st century without losing their original integrity.
“The Edwardian and 1920s style (a la Downton Abbey) is a particular favourite era” she says. “I have just finished an Edwardian property, with a complete overhaul from top to toe, but where the client was very keen to retain and reinstate the original Queen Anne detail.”
The style of this period in Australia was the same as in England but with the use of Australian native flowers, says Blue. "To recreate this glamorous style in a modern home, think of elements which are sumptuous yet simple, with an element of nature in their pattern or shape, and focus on pastel colours with white as a contrast. There are three rules: Simplicity of pattern, obsession with nature [floral patterns and flowers everywhere] and lightness."
Blue says the early 1900s were a time of great change in interior design. “Out went the heavy, cluttered style of the Victorian age and in came electric lights and heating. No longer did walls have to be painted dark green and red to conceal the smoke from coal heating and oil lighting. Instead, pale colours were to be found on walls, celebrating all that was light, bright and clean.”
“Windows became larger, fabrics became paler; furniture was either highly polished or painted white to reflect the light."
Sydney interior designer Meg Tuckett defines the Downton aesthetic as “glamorous, opulent, confident but at the same time warm and welcoming.”
Tuckett says to get the Downton look choose a strong, rich colour scheme, keeping ceilings and woodwork white. “My favourite white is from Resene, called Alabaster, which works with everything,” she says.
“For the walls choose Starbell, a mellow and warm yellow. If using wallpaper, Ralph Lauren has many beautiful designs in particular Abbeywood Damask in Balmoral Red, from The Archival English Papers 11 Collection.”
Blue agrees walls must be elegant. "Soft pistachio green, lilac, dusky rose, pale peach-apricot or soft grey would all work as wall colours, with timber mouldings picked out in crisp white" she says.
Or she says choose paintable wallpaper, embossed with stylised floral patterns. Alternatively go for a wallpaper of swirling Art Nouveau roses, wisteria or native Australian flowers like waratah and gum blossom below the dado rail, with a matching plain paint colour above.
Choose highly polished timber floors with an Oriental or Turkish rug. “The floor rug that could reflect the paint or wallpaper colours. Whitecliffe Imports have a wonderful selection” says Tuckett.
For a bedroom as grand as Lady Mary's, get a painted or fabric covered three piece screen or use wallpaper and add aged brass studs on the edges, she says. “You could also buy a button backed bedroom chair - something with turned legs. There's a glorious new velvet collection from Ralph Lauren called Velvet Library.”
Blue suggests upholstering a deeply buttoned chaise or armchair in pale lilac velvet, trimmed with pearl grey tassel.
“Add a crystal and brass chandelier, a vintage brass bed made up with white linen, masses of fresh flowers in old silver teapots and the room becomes one of Edwardian glamour.”
So before the start of season four of Downton, scheduled for early 2014, settle down on your new velvet chaise with a cup of Earl Grey and wait for inspiration to strike.
by Sandy Smith
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)